Central team being sent to Bihar, Azad tells Lalu

Patna, Jun 20: Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Gulam Nabi Azad today (June 20) assured RJD supremo Lalu Yadav of dispatching a central team of medical experts from New Delhi to Bihar for prevention and diagnosis of the mystery disease.

Claiming this, Prasad told PTI that he spoke to Azad this morning during which he was assured of dispatching the team.

"All medical care is required to be taken for diagnosis and prevention of the disease which has claimed several lives of children. It is a matter of great concern that the disease has spread to adjoining Madhubani, Darbhanga and Sitamarhi districts from where I am receiving lot of calls seeking help for the children," the RJD boss said.

At least 22 children below the age of six years have died and 35 others hospitalised due to a mystery disease during the past one week in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district, officials said.

The state health department has sent a team of experts from Patna to the district. The team had already collected the blood samples and returned to the state capital, principal secretary (health) Amarjeet Sinha said.

The blood samples were sent to a specialised laboratory in Pune and New Delhi for examination, he said adding that "only after the examination reports we will be able to specify whether encephalitis has spread".

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has also urged the Centre to send a team at the earliest to help solve the problem.